stories about the beautiful game

January 23, 2017

Three transfer targets for each Premier League club – Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Swansea City

Southampton

Leo da Silva Lopes, 17-year-old winger, Peterborough

Lopes is still an unknown quantity, but according to several media outlets, Southampton are just one of a multitude of Premier clubs currently scouting the winger, with Tottenham Hotspur currently leading the chase. Arsenal and Liverpool are also interested in the youngster, who was born in Portugal.

Southampton will hope that their track record of helping young talent to blossom, with the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Sam Mcqueen and Luke Shaw all testimony to that, will see Lopes make the move to St.Mary’s.

A price of around £1-£2 million would definitely be enough to secure his services.

Juanpi, 22-year-old attacking midfielder, Malaga

Claude Puel’s side are looking to add to their attacking ranks, having only scored 22 league goals, which is only four more than Middlesbrough who are the league’s lowest scorers. Shane Long and Nathan Redmond has been inconsistent and ineffective up top, whilst Dusan Tadić has also failed to provide the assists needed to supply the likes of Redmond and the perpetually injured Charlie Austin.

After a breakthrough campaign at Malaga last season, scoring four goals in 29 appearances, Juanpi has followed on from where he left off, becoming his side’s most successful dribbler having created 15 chances in 15 starts.

The only problem would be the Venezuelan’s price, who is currently valued at around £18 million, which is £2 million more than Southampton paid for summer signing Sofiane Boufal – who has so far proved an unsuccessful addition to the side.

Kevin Wimmer, 23-year-old centre-back, Tottenham

Having seen José Fonte leave the club for West Ham last week, Southampton are in need of a new centre-back partner for reported Manchester City target Virgil Van Dijk. The Austrian may well be angling for a move, but with both Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld injured at the moment, his protracted move may well be put on ice.

Wimmer is a brilliant ball-playing defender who would fit perfectly into Puel’s possession-based style of play, which would also compliment Van Dijk’s physicality and aerial prowess.

The 23-year-old would command a fee of around £15-£20 million, but a loan spell is also a possibility due to his potential to development into one of the Premier League’s best defenders.

Stoke City

Mario Gaspar – 26-year-old right-back, Villarreal

With Glen Johnson coming into the latter years of his career and Marc Muniesa touted with a move back to La Liga, Mario Gaspar offers the perfect cover for Johnson. At Villarreal, Gaspar averages 3.2 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game for the ‘Yellow Submarines’ which is actually more than first choice right-back Johnson manages for Stoke. Going forward Gaspar also outranks Johnson when it comes to the amount of key passes (0.5) and shots per game (1.1).

26-year-old Gaspar would probably be available for around £7 million.

Marvin Plattenhardt – 24-year-old left-back, Hertha Berlin

An option on the other side of the defence this time from the Bundesliga. Plattenhardt has a killer set piece and is able to cross to a six pence. The German already has two goals and an assist for Hertha Berlin this season and would be an adept replacement or cover for Erik Pieters or Geoff Cameron.

Stoke would need to pay around £5 million to secure the services of Plattenhardt from Germany.

Sergej Milinković-Savić – 21-year-old attacking midfielder, Lazio

With Bojan seemingly on the way out of the club, Stoke are in need of another attacking influence in the midfield. Sergej Milinković-Savić has scored five goals and recorded three assists, dominating aerial duels and threading defence slipping through balls this season. The Serbian drives at goal, often getting fouled in dangerous positions and playing layoffs and neat through balls to the prolific Italian forward Ciro Immobile.

The 21-year-old would be an expensive purchase for Mark Hughes, probably costing around £15-£20 million.

Lescott has fallen a long way since the heady of heights of his days at Everton and most recently as a two-time Premier League champion at Manchester City, with the Englishman currently looking for a club following dismal spells at Aston Villa – as they were relegated, and at AEK Athens, where his contract was terminated in November.

Despite his fall from grace Lescott still offers a wealth of Premier League experience, and has previously worked under David Moyes at Everton which could prove pivotal in the north-east club’s relegation battle. A worthwhile addition to Sunderland’s squad considering he’s a free agent.

Robbie Keane – 36-year-old striker, free agent

Another free agent who has previously delivered on the Premier League stage, Robbie Keane would be a very adept signing, having scored 126 Premier League goals during spells at Leeds United, Coventry, Tottenham, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa, as well as 68 international goals for the Republic of Ireland.

Keane also has experience working with Sunderland top scorer Jermaine Defoe when the pair were both at Tottenham. The ageing strike pair of Defoe and Keane could fire Sunderland to safety, having scored a combined 281 Premier League goals. Whilst Defoe has already scored 12 goals this season, Keane hit double figures in his last five seasons for former club LA Galaxy.

Phil Jagielka – 34-year-old, Everton

Moyes’ limited funds at Sunderland, a problem he has openly criticised, means that the Black Cats could look to another Premier League veteran to secure their status in the Premier League. Everton boss Ronald Koeman has stated that club captain Jagielka can leave the club this January, following the signing of Ashley Williams in the summer.

Much like Lescott and Keane before him, the 34-year-old is well equipped to deal with the constraints of the Premier League, having racked up over 300 appearances during 11 years in the top flight. Taking into consideration the fact that Koeman is prepared to let him leave, a price of around £3 million should be enough to lure him to the Stadium of Light.

Swansea City

Jordan Ayew – 25-year-old striker, Aston Villa

Steve Bruce is looking to swap Ghanaian forward Jordan Ayew for Swansea winger Modou Barrow, in a deal which only seems advantageous for Aston Villa. Because whilst Barrow has impressed in an otherwise disappointing Premier League campaign for the Swans, Ayew has only managed three goals in the Championship this season. The 25-year-old is also currently out of action with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations.

Ayew does, however, have a better end product than Barrow, and despite Aston Villa’s relegation last season, Ayew did still manage to score seven goals. Villa have set a £10 million asking price for the forward, but Barrow’s reported £5 million relegation release clause could help the two sides broker a more affordable deal.

Alex Pritchard – 23-year-old winger, Norwich City

Following his £10 million move to Carrow Road this summer, Pritchard is once again looking for a move, as Alex Neil’s men have failed to bounce back from relegation last season – currently sitting 10th in the Championship, five points off the play-off positions.

Pritchard has only played three games all season, and despite his hefty price tag is clearly out of favour at the club, hence the reported interest of Swansea and Burnley. The 23-year-old can operate as both a winger and as an attacking midfielder, which would help add cover for Gylfi Sigurdsson and Modou Barrow.

Norwich will be looking to minimise their losses on the sale of Pritchard, and will, therefore, demand a fee of around £8 million.

André Sousa -26-year-old attacking midfielder, Belenense

A player who’s track record certainly gives off the impression of a poor signing, he has failed to score or assist for Portuguese outfit Belenense this season, whilst only two goals in 40 appearances is hardly admirable for an attacking midfielder.

But with promotion-chasing Sheffield Wednesday also interested in the player there must surely be more to Sousa’s game than his lowly stats suggest. Possible cover for Sigurdsson, but nonetheless a signing that doesn’t seem like a worthwhile investment for Paul Clement.

Sousa would probably cost around £700,000 to £1 million – a price-tag that could be worth a gamble.